Macintosh Bible, 8th Edition, The

Chapter 13. Utilities

Gene Steinberg is the chapter editor and author.

All right, so what's a utility?

This may date me, but my concept of a utility is someone who plays several positions on the baseball diamond; hence, the term utility infielder seems apt. One day he'll be at shortstop, the next day at third base. You get the picture.

So how does that relate to a computer and the category of utility software?

On a computer, utilities are programs that often defy definition, but, like the baseball equivalent, may serve a variety of functions. They range from applications that diagnose your Mac's hard drive to ones that provide some sort of Desktop decoration or Finder enhancement and just about everything in between. They provide essential ...